One of my readers met him yesterday in Australia. So happy for you. Enjoy this, love :-)
"What are you going to do today?" Trevor asked her on Facetime early Monday morning.
"Nothing much. I may go to the Performance Center when I get up," she yawned. "It's been a while since I've gone down there."
"Speaking of workout..." he switched to the rear camera so that she could see that he was currently in a gym. "I just got off my flight and this is my first stop so I'm about to get mine in now before heading to the hotel and then the arena later."
"Okay, well I won't interrupt you any further," she puckered her lips at the screen for a virtual kiss and he did the same. She was getting ready to disconnect until he stopped her.
"Show me something!" he requested and she raised her shirt, already braless.
It'd been at least two months since she'd been to the Performance Center. If she was going to be built up and pushed soon, she'd need to polish her skills.
"Really? Now?" Robyn groaned when her low fuel alert chimed on the way. She pulled over at the first gas station she saw. There was a car parked on the other side of the pumps as she filled her tank. Just as she hung the nozzle up, a teen walked out of the store and over to the other car. She had to do a double take to see that it wasn't a teen at all.
"Kacy?"
"Oh, hi, Robbie," Kacy awkwardly spoke. She didn't sound upset but she also didn't sound very happy to see her.
Robyn herself was no stranger to post-breakup pains. She was constantly posting herself with Ricochet to get back at Roman but never thought about how it affected Kacy. She'd never forget the sting of seeing him with Galina on the red carpet at the Hobbs and Shaw premiere shortly after their reconciliation. "Do you have a minute to talk?"
"I can already guess what the topic of discussion will be," she said.
"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…"
"No, it's fine. I guess I'll start at the end. Trevor going on the road was a big adjustment for me. I was stressed and trying to focus on training so I could be featured on TV. Things just became..."
"...complicated," Robyn finished, remembering him describe the situation using that very word.
"Yes," she nodded. "We talked and decided that we needed a break. I never acknowledged it as a break up because we were still friends and acted the same. But then, he pops up with you and we haven't spoken since. It hurt but I just gave up. How am I supposed to compete with someone who looks like you that can get any man you want?"
"You don't have to compete with me. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you. We attracted the same guy so what does that say?"
"It says the same thing that everyone on social media has been saying: he upgraded!" she stated.
"Kacy, if you take everything about you and me, and I'm not just talking about looks, into account, believe me, I'm not an upgrade at all," she knew an upgrade wouldn't have been in a car getting fingered by another man. "I don't even deserve him to be honest."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's not important," she brushed off.
"Can you not tell him about this?" she asked "I don't want to look pathetic."
"As far as I'm concerned, this conversation never happened," Robyn assured just as her phone dinged.
Him: Where are you?
Rob: About to head to the PC.
Him: Do you HAVE to go?
Rob: No, I just want to. Why do you ask?
Him: I'm in route to your condo. Meet me there.
This left her curious and it also gave her an excuse to leave now that things were getting uncomfortable with Kacy.
Rob: OMW.
When she arrived, he was already in the parking lot so she pulled up beside his car and let the window down. "What are you doing here?"
"I need help," he replied.
"With what?"
He leaned over to open the passenger side door. "Get in."
She thought about it for a second and realized she had nothing else to do. "Alright."
"You can plug your phone into my charger if it's low because you'll need it where we're going," he said as she pulled the seatbelt across her body.
On the way, she told him about the Kacy encounter. "...and I just feel really, really bad for her. Clearly she still loves him meanwhile I'm sitting here with you."
"Some couples just fit. That's Ric and Kacy. You should stop being selfish and let her have him."
"You're can't call anyone selfish after you cheated on your poor wife, tried to prevent me from sleeping with my own boyfriend by dropping the L word and then tried to have sex with me in a parking lot before the ink was even dry on your divorce papers!"
"My wife is far from poor. Believe me, I've already written the check," he chuckled.
"So no comment on the rest?" she snorted. "How is Jojo?"
"She hasn't said a word to me since we broke the news…" he sighed, shaking his head.
"These things take time but she'll come around," Robyn reached over to rub his arm comfortingly. "On a side note, if you'd gone through with it a few months ago like planned, she'd probably be over it by now."
"You're probably right but there's nothing I can do about that now…"
"Have you checked your Instagram comments lately?" she asked.
"I never do."
"Well, maybe you should because you definitely have options. I can imagine what your DMs look like," she snickered. "I bet you have all kinds of propositions and nudes in there."
Pretty soon it became clear that they were heading to Tampa. She panicked. "Please don't tell me we're going to your house! I didn't go in the first time you tried to take me there."
"Actually, that's Galina's house now. I'm searching for my own," he informed.
That's when it clicked. "Ohhh, you want to house shop."
"Yes," he confirmed. "It's a big investment and I feel like I could use a woman's opinion on this."
They went to several neighborhoods and even looked at a house around the corner from Galina. None of them were really eye catching in Robyn's opinion.
"Joe, how many more are there?"
"There's only 2 left, can you just hang in there with me, please?" he asked, hitting the turn signal.
"I don't mind, it's just that I can't keep them straight at this point. After the first 5 they all started looking the same…"
"Well, that's why I asked you to take pics and vids along the way. We'll go back to your condo later on, look at the footage and narrow it down," he said, pulling up the driveway of another house. "I was told the side door would be open when we arrived."
"Good, we get to look around ourselves. The realtor who showed us the last 2 kept flirting with you, touching you and laughing for no reason. She was insufferable," Rob muttered.
"Sounds like someone's jealous," he smirked.
"No, I just felt disrespected. She didn't know if I was your girlfriend or what while she was doing all of that!"
"Well, you made it your business to be as far away from me as possible during the tour and sometimes you didn't even follow us from room to room. That's not exactly body language that screams couple and I'm not wearing the ring on my finger that usually repels women so what did you expect?"
"There's a reason for that. We don't know who's a wrestling fan or not. I'm pretty sure she wasn't but what if we ran into an agent who was and they decided to get on Twitter like, 'I showed Roman Reigns a house today. He was with Robyn...' There's no way we could spin that into something work related. It would look 100 times worse if '...and they were all over each other!' ended that sentence a week after your divorce announcement," she explained. "You probably don't care about appearances anymore because the news is out there now but I do. I'll be known as the woman who probably broke up Roman's marriage and cheated on Ricochet. Imagine two different sets of fangirls coming for my neck."
"He has fangirls?"
She rolled her eyes. "Some of the worst looking guys on the roster have fangirls so let's not act like one of the best looking doesn't. They just aren't strong in number like yours but give him some time and a proper push."
"Anyway, you're right. I want your reputation pristine when we finally come out," he opened the door and she entered.
"Come out of what or where?" she laughed, pointing her phone's camera up at the high ceiling.
It was two stories with six bedrooms, a nice kitchen, a huge living room, a gym and recreational room. She loved the gorgeous marble countertops, flooring and walls. They found themselves ending the tour in the master bedroom which had a balcony with a view of the beach off in the distance.
"Look at that," he commented in awe. "Imagine coming off the road after a long tour and just kicking back, watching the waves."
"I was thinking the exact same thing," she replied, just as he sat down in a lounge chair. There was only one so he pulled her into his lap. They stayed there in silence for about 15 minutes until she turned to face him. "In the end, you and your bank account have the final say but in my opinion this is not only the best house we've seen all day, it's the one! It's perfect and has everything: the kid's rooms, a big backyard for the boys to play in, the gym is right up your alley, a huge master bedroom with a walk-in closet and of course, the beach is right there. Oh, and most importantly, the schools are close just in case one of the children get sick or something and Galina isn't available to pick them up."
"I guess that settles it then. We can get you back to Orlando now," he stood.
"Wait, I thought there were 2 more? What about the last house?"
"You said it yourself, this is the one," he reminded. "I really feel like the beach is what sold you on it and the last one is in the suburbs. It's a nice neighborhood but the only view is the other houses."
"Joe, it's not up to me so if you want to see it for yourself, we can," she held onto his arm as they descended the stairs.
"Nah, I'm good. Are you hungry? It's almost 6 so I'm sure Galin-"
"No!" she blurted. "Well, I am but we can stop at a fast food place somewhere on the way."
"You can't avoid her forever…"
We'll see about that," she mumbled. "Does she know that we...you know...behind her back?"
"I'm not sure. I was getting ready to confess but she cut me off. Then, the conversation turned into me falling in love with you, not sleeping with you."
When they made it back to Orlando, she went in to get takeout from a restaurant. After that, she sat on top of her kitchen counter browsing furniture sites.
"This bed on top of those floors?!" she whistled. "Fire! Look at the headboard. You're going to have to pay me or give me something for playing interior designer when I don't have to and you definitely don't deserve it."
"I'll give you something alright," he walked between her open legs.
"Joe, you have to stop," she sighed.
"Not until you leave him," he replied. "I've been in the locker room with him so I know he's a good guy but he's not worth throwing away everything we had."
"You threw it away, not me and that's a fact," she pushed against his chest to create space. "Just because you want it back now doesn't make it any less true."
"That was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made and I'm trying to rectify it if you'll let me," he said. "You don't think I'm capable of picking out a house on my own? I would've been okay with any 3 bedroom place, for me and the kids whenever they spend the night. It doesn't make a difference to me now anyway because I'll barely be there but I know eventually I'll have to retire and live there...hopefully with you. I'll want more children to raise there...again, with you. That's the reason I came here today, to take you to pick out our house."
She shook her head. "Why would you plan a future with someone like me?"
"What do you mean someone like you?"
"You don't know if I'll be here this time next year, let alone when you retire."
"This time last year I didn't know if I myself would be here but I was never as morbid or cynical about the situation as you are right now because I had faith," he captured her face between his hands. "Robyn, you're fine and have no reason to think otherwise but I don't care if you have until next year, next week, ten or twenty years; I just want to spend every second of whatever time we both have left together. That's why you need to drop Ricochet because he'll never understand you like I do. If he's anything outside of the ring like he is inside, he'll land on his feet. Let him go before his feelings get too deep and he winds up hurt because we both know how this is going to end."
"How is it going to end, Joe?" she raised a brow. "No, don't spoil it but now that I know you can predict the future, I'm sure you already know that this is the part where I ask you to leave."
"I've been drinking. I'm not going to make the drive back to Tampa," he'd invaded her cabinets after they ate and helped himself to two shots of liquor.
"Okay, I'll take you to a hotel…"
"You've been drinking," he pointed out and she looked down at the empty wine glass beside her. "WWE Superstar arrested for DUI...newly single WWE Superstar found in passenger seat."
"Uber…" she suggested.
"I picked up Roman Reigns and he was fucked up. I thought he'd pass out before I got him to his destination…"
"Hey, that's on you because my name will be nowhere in that story," she shrugged. "And at least you'll get props for having a designated driver instead of getting behind the wheel drunk like another Samoan we know."
"Leave my family out of this, Rob!" he frowned.
"Sorry, the opportunity was right there," she chuckled.
"And just for that low blow I'm not leaving."
"You never intended to leave. If it wasn't for that you would've found another excuse," she replied. "It's late, you've been drinking and after a long day out, you probably don't feel like the hassle of checking into a hotel but fortunately, I have a guest room. Stop smiling! Before you get excited, my bedroom door will be locked just in case you get any ideas and set your alarm for 6 so you can be out of here before Trevor even boards his flight."
He picked up her wine bottle and refilled her glass before handing it to her. "Let's toast."
"To what?"
"To life."
"To life," she repeated as their glasses clinked. That's when he decided to lean it. Before he was able to make it, her phone rang. Trev. "Shh!"
"Hello?"
"How was your workout?"
"Uhh..." she knew she couldn't lie because he still had friends in NXT and could easily find out that she never arrived. "Something came up that I had to take care of so I turned around."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, it's f-fi-fine. Hold on!" she stuttered as Joe closed in to kiss a path from her ear to her neck. She shoved him away, jumped down from the countertop and headed to her bedroom. "Sorry, I was trying to do too many things at once."
"Can tomorrow get here already?"
"I know, right?" she forced a laugh. "You were amazing tonight, as always. Oh, and I don't want to get in your business but have you talked to Kacy lately."
"Not really, why?"
"Because on my way to the PC, I stopped for gas and ran into her. She looked kind of sad. Sometimes breakups are hard especially if there isn't proper closure and one party moves on faster than the other. I don't know, it may not have had anything to do with you at all."
"Okay, I'll check on her when we get off the phone."
"No, not tonight because I don't want it to look like I told you but maybe sometime next week you can shoot her a quick hey text or something."
"This is really considerate of you. Most women don't want their boyfriend looking in the general direction of their ex."
"Yeah…" she knew she was in no position to get upset about him talking to his ex when hers was currently making himself at home.
He yawned on the other side of the line. "Alright, I'm about to hit the sheets. Goodnight."
"Night," she replied before ending the call.
"Did you let him down gently?" Joe asked as she entered the living room.
"It's getting late. You don't have to go to sleep right now but I'm tired so I need to show you what's what before I go to bed," she said and he followed her to the guest room. "Alright, there's already towels in the bathroom, here's some unscented body wash so you don't have to smell floral like me, I don't know if you plan on washing your hair tonight but here's a few of my products just in case and you left a toothbrush over here from a long time ago. Trevor spent the night last week and I washed his clothes. They're in my room if you need something to wear home."
"Rob, your boyfriend is 5'9; I'm 6'3. He's 188; I'm 265. The only thing of his that I can fit is you," he grumbled. "I still have bags that I haven't unloaded from last week in the trunk and there's some fresh clothes in there that I'll sneak down to get in the morning."
"Okay, well good, I think that just about covers everything. Enjoy your stay," she turned.
"What, no goodnight kiss?"
"If I give you an inch, you'll take a mile. Or should I say, if I give you an inch, you'll try to give me back a few of your own…"
He laughed. "Just a few? I feel a little insulted right now."
"You know what I mean," she smiled. "Goodnight."
Despite being tired, she tossed and turned in bed until 2AM. She sat up. It was as if she was a mindless zombie that couldn't stop as she walked through the hallway. His door was cracked but it was blacked out dark inside so she couldn't see whether he was awake or not.
Quietly, she pushed it open, tiptoeing over to his bedside. His body was motionless. She was getting ready to back away until she saw a shadow of the sheets being lifted, held up in an invitation that she gladly accepted. Crawling inside, she draped herself on top of him. Nothing about this was sexual, she just wanted to be near him and feel his warmth. There wasn't anything poking her stomach so he must've felt the same as one arm tightened around her back. With her head on his chest, she could feel his body rising and falling as his breathing slowed. In just moments, sleep finally arrived and her unconscious journey to the next morning began.
The alarm woke Joe at the time he set it, 6AM. Robyn was already gone. He couldn't sleep and the bed was lonely but he respected her boundaries enough to not enter her space but soon enough she came to him as they fell asleep together like the lovers they should be. She still seemed resentful but was slowly warming up. All she had to do was get rid of her boyfriend and they'd be back on track but at the moment she was too stubborn to pull the plug.
He was getting ready to step into the same pants he wore yesterday until he spotted his bag on the dresser. Apparently she'd been busy this morning because when he opened the door, the scent of breakfast hit his nose and once he made it to the kitchen, she was standing over the stove in a silk robe.
He stepped behind her and put his hands on her waist. "Good Morning."
"Morning, now go sit down and let me finish," she replied and he followed instructions. A few minutes later, she placed a plate in front of him. "It's probably not what you're used to at home but it's better than driving back to Tampa on an empty stomach."
"I don't care. You did it so it's good enough for me," he said, picking up his fork. "Now imagine doing this every morning in the marble and stainless steel kitchen of our house."
"Joe, that's not what this is. It's October 22 so with it being the anniversary of your announcement, I decided to do something special," she said.
"Aww, baby. Thank you," he smiled. "You know, that was such a vulnerable moment for me and it was hard but simply telling the truth and sharing my story, I could immediately feel something positive in my core. I knew I did the right thing. I felt that love and that support and I knew I had to pay it forward, which is what we're doing now."
"I've been with you to those hospitals since your return and you truly are an inspiration to us all. I see the way you light up those children's lives. You are the most caring, compassionate man I've ever met. I don't even know what to say to express how I feel about you right now…"
"'Joe, I love you and I'll come back," he replied. "It's as simple as that."
"You're really going to make me ruin this moment?" she rubbed her temples, her eyes going vacant for a second. "I do love you but I don't know, I just need time."
That wasn't exactly a no. "How much time?"
"You'll know when...or if I'm ready," she cryptically responded, looking down at her phone's time. "Trevor took a 5AM flight and he's coming from Cleveland so he'll touch down at 7:30ish and I'm picking him up from the airport. I still have to get dressed and do a walk through of the condo to make sure nothing screams there was a man here last night, so in other words, we need to wrap this up."
"Sure," he couldn't help the disappointment that crept into his voice.
